Before the primary election results have even been certified, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) has already begun his negative campaigning. In a statement on his website, Rep. McHenry says about the Johnson campaign:

"The Democrats are preparing to mount a competitive bid for our seat. I called Daniel Johnson last night to congratulate him on his win and tell him that I look forward to a vigorous campaign on the issues moving forward.

But Nancy Pelosi's chosen recruit, a trial lawyer from Raleigh, already has his pockets stuffed with cash from Washington liberals, and we know there will be more to come."

US SENATE: Kay Hagan

CONGRESS, 01: Rep. G. K. Butterfield
CONGRESS, 02: Rep. Bob Etheridge
CONGRESS, 03: Craig Weber
CONGRESS, 04: Rep. David Price
CONGRESS, 05: Roy Carter
CONGRESS, 06: Teresa Sue Bratton
CONGRESS, 07: Rep. Mike McIntyre
CONGRESS, 08: Larry Kissell
CONGRESS, 09: Harry Taylor
CONGRESS, 10: Daniel Johnson
CONGRESS, 11: Rep. Heath Shuler
CONGRESS, 12: Rep. Mel Watt
CONGRESS, 13: Rep. Brad Miller

GOVERNOR: Bev Perdue

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: Walter Dalton

AUDITOR: Beth Wood

COMMISSIONER OF INSURANCE: Wayne Goodwin

SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION: June Atkinson

TREASURER: Janet Cowell

We have witnessed a strong and vigorous primary with thousands of new, energetic and enthusiastic voters.

More than a half-million voters have participated in early voting. More than 80 percent of them chose to participate in the Democratic rather than Republican primary. Forty-percent of the early voters were African-American.

“This tells us that North Carolinians are willing to invest their hopes and dreams in our Party. And we don’t take that for granted,” said NCDP Chair Jerry Meek. “That’s why we’re committed to restoring the American Dream – to restoring faith that if you work hard and play by the rules, you can prosper in North Carolina.”

In his 22 years in the Senate, John McCain has never voted against a single Republican judicial nominee at any level. How far to the right does a judicial pick have to be for John McCain to vote against him or her?

Why would John McCain tout his so-called "moderate" views on issues like campaign finance reform and climate change when the right wing judicial nominees he favors would gut those reforms and dismantle the regulatory framework designed to implement them?

John McCain often cites John Roberts and Samuel Alito as examples of the types of judges he would appoint to the Supreme Court. Would he also appoint extremist judges like Robert Bork, William Pryor and Pricilla Owen to the Supreme Court?

The offensive ad is scheduled to air on the same day as Cheney’s Raleigh fundraiser.

North Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Jerry Meek today called on Vice President Dick Cheney to demand that state Republican leaders withdraw a degrading and divisive ad, or himself withdraw from a scheduled fundraising trip to North Carolina.

Cheney is slated to raise money on Monday in Raleigh on behalf of the state Republican Party’s “Victory Fund”.

NCGOP leaders are adamant that a controversial ad will begin running the very same day.

Ryan Teague Beckwith, News and Observer

Unaffiliated early voters are asking for Democratic ballots by a 5-to-1 ratio over Republican ballots.

According to results posted Sunday by the State Board of Elections, voters requesting absentee ballots by mail, members of the U.S. military voting elsewhere, overseas voters and one-stop voters are far more interested in the Democratic primary.

A North Carolina resident who is qualified to register to vote may register In-Person and vote at a One-Stop Site in the person's county of residence during the One-Stop Absentee Voting period. The One-Stop Voting period extends from 19 to 3 days before Election Day.

The process is sometimes referred to as “In-Person Registration,” but it is important to recognize that it not permitted on Election Day itself.

By MIKE BAKER, Associated Press

More than four times as many blacks have registered to vote in North Carolina during the first few months of 2008 as four years ago, a sign that bodes well for Sen. Barack Obama in the state's May 6 Democratic presidential primary.

There has also been a boom in voter registrations overall across age, race, gender and party affiliation, according to the North Carolina state board of elections. And, even though the traditional registration period closes Friday, the numbers may continue to climb if voters take advantage of North Carolina's new same-day registration law.

Lisa Boone-Wood, JOURNAL REPORTER

Students for Barack Obama set up a sound system in front of the clock tower at Winston-Salem State University one recent afternoon and cranked up the music.

Speakers encouraged political activism while others worked the crowd to sign up new voters. In two hours, 110 students had registered to vote.

College interns for Hillary Clinton met one night last week at her headquarters in an old house at the edge of downtown.

They worked the phones, exchanged ideas about how to get out campaign information and learned how to reply to questions posed by voters on a Web site set up by the campaign.

With the May 6 primary just three weeks away, the presidential campaigns are focusing on young voters and campus organizing more than ever.